© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Conservation Biology: The Search for Solutions

AP Environmental Science

Mr. GrantLesson 40

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Objectives:

• Define the term captive breeding.

• Assess the science and practice of conservation biology.

• Analyze efforts to conserve threatened and endangered species.

• Compare and contrast conservation efforts above the species level.

• TED - By piecing together a complex ecological puzzle, biologist Willie Smits has found a way to re-grow clear cut rainforest in Borneo, saving local orangutans -- and creating a thrilling blueprint for restoring fragile ecosystems.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Captive Breeding: The practice of capturing members of threatened and endangered species so that their young can be bred and raised in controlled environments and subsequently reintroduced into the wild.

Define the term captive breeding.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Assess the science and practice of conservation biology.

• Conservation biology studies biodiversity loss and seeks ways to protect and restore biodiversity.

• Conservation biologists integrate research at the genetic, population, species, ecosystem, and landscape levels.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Conservation biology: the search for solutions

• Conservation biology = studies the factors behind the loss, protection, and restoration of biodiversity- Scientists became alarmed at the degradation of

natural systems• An applied and goal-oriented science• Conservation biologists integrate evolution, extinction,

ecology, and environmental systems- Design, test, and enact ways to decrease our impacts

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Conservation biology: the search for solutions

• Conservation geneticists = study genetic attributes of organisms to infer the status of their populations

• Minimum viable population size = how small a population can become before it runs into problems

• Metapopulations = a network of subpopulations- Small populations are most vulnerable to extinction

and need special attention

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Analyze efforts to conserve threatened and endangered species.

• The U.S. Endangered Species Act has been controversial but effective.

• CITES and the Convention on Biodiversity are major international treaties to safeguard biodiversity.

• Modern recovery strategies include captive breeding and reintroduction programs.

• Forensics can help us trace products from illegally poached animals.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Conservation focuses on endangered species• Endangered Species Act (ESA) (1973) = the primary

U.S. legislation for protecting biodiversity• It forbids the government and citizens from taking actions

that destroy endangered species or their habitats- Or trading in products made from endangered species

• The ESA’s goal is to prevent extinction- Stabilize declining populations- Enable populations to recover

• In 2010, the U.S. had 1,010 species listed as endangered and 314 listed as threatened

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

The ESA has been successful• Intensive management has saved or stabilized species

- 40% of declining populations are now stable• These successes occur despite problems

- Underfunding of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service

- Recent political forces have tried to weaken the ESA

Peregrine falcons, brown pelicans, bald eagles, and others have recovered and are no longer listed

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

The ESA is controversial

• Many Americans support protecting endangered species • Opponents feel that the ESA values endangered

organisms more than the livelihood of people- Protection will restrict land use and cost jobs- “Shoot, shovel, and shut up” = landowners conceal the

presence of endangered species on their land- But the ESA has stopped few development projects

• Habitat conservation plans and safe harbor agreements - Landowners can harm species if they improve habitat

for the species in other places

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Species protection can be controversial

• Protecting the northern spotted owl slowed logging in old-growth rainforests

• Loggers feared for their jobs- Landowners feared

restrictions

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Other countries protect species

• Species at Risk Act (SARA) (2002) = Canada’s endangered species law- Stresses cooperation between landowners and

provincial governments- Criticized as being too weak

• Other nations’ laws are underfunded or not enforced- The Wildlife Conservation Society has to help pay for

Russians to enforce their own anti-poaching laws

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

International conservation efforts• UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (1973) - CITES protects endangered species by banning

international transport of their body parts• Convention on Biological Diversity (1992)

- Seeks to conserve biodiversity - Use biodiversity in a sustainable manner - Ensure the fair distribution of biodiversity’s benefits

• By 2010, 193 nations had signed on to the Convention- Only Andorra, the Vatican, and the U.S. did not join

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

The Convention on Biological Diversity

• The Convention aims to:- Provide incentives to conserve biodiversity- Manage access to and use of genetic resources- Transfer technology (including biotechnology)- Promote scientific cooperation- Assess human effects on biodiversity- Promote biodiversity education and awareness- Provide funding for critical activities- Encourage nations to report on conservation efforts

• Despite some successes, biodiversity is still being lost

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Protecting biodiversity: captive breeding• Captive breeding = individuals are bred and raised so

they can be reintroduced into the wild- 65 plant and animal species exist only in captivity

• Reintroductions can be controversial- Ranchers opposed reintroducing wolves to

Yellowstone National Park- Fragmented habitat must be improved

before releasing animals

Biologists have raised condorchicks in captivity with thehelp of hand puppets that look like the heads of adult condors

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Protecting biodiversity: cloning

• Cloning creates more individuals and saves species from extinction- DNA from an endangered species is inserted into an

egg without a nucleus- The egg is inserted into a closely related species

• Several mammal species have been cloned- But these efforts are not enough to recreate lost

biodiversity• Without ample habitat and protection in the wild, having

cloned animals in a zoo does little good

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Forensics protects threatened species

• Forensic science (forensics) = analyzes evidence to identify or answer questions relating to a crime

• Conservation scientists use forensics to protect species- Researchers use DNA to identify a species or

subspecies and its geographic origin• Detecting illegal activity helps enforce laws protecting

wildlife- For example, whale meat is analyzed in Asian markets- DNA from killed elephants shows many more were

killed than the Zambian government admitted

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Compare and contrast conservation efforts above the species level.• Charismatic species are often used in popular appeals to

conserve habitats and ecosystems.

• Parks and protected areas conserve biodiversity at the landscape level.

• Biodiversity hotspots help prioritize regions globally for conservation.

• Debt-for-nature swaps and conservation concessions provide economic incentives for conservation.

• Ecological restoration efforts are restoring degraded ecosystems.

• Community-based conservation empowers people to invest in conserving their local species and ecosystems.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Umbrella species protect others• Conservation biologists use particular species as tools to

conserve communities and ecosystems• Umbrella species = species that, when protected, also

help protect other, less charismatic species- Often large species that need large amounts of habitat- Protecting their habitat automatically protects others

• Flagship species = large and charismatic species used as spearheads for biodiversity conservation- The World Wildlife Fund’s panda bear

• Some organizations are moving beyond the single-species approach to focus on whole landscapes

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Parks and protected areas

• Setting aside land in parks and preserves conserves habitats, communities, ecosystems, and landscapes- 12% of the world’s area is in parks, wilderness,

reserves, etc.• But these areas are not all managed for biodiversity

- They are used for recreation, water protection, etc.- They are also illegally logged, etc.- Many are not large enough to preserve whole systems

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Biodiversity hotspots• Biodiversity hotspots = prioritizes regions most

important globally for biodiversity- Support a great number of endemic species = species

found nowhere else in the world• The area must have at least 1,500 endemic plant species

(0.5% of the world total)- It must have lost 70% of its habitat

due to humans

Focusing on hotspots protects the greatest number of species per unit effort

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

There are 34 global biodiversity hotspots

2.3% of the planet’s land surface contains 50% of the world’s plant species and 42% of all terrestrial vertebrate species

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Using innovative economic strategies

• Debt-for-nature swap = a conservation organization pays off a portion of a developing country’s international debt

• In exchange, the country promises to set aside reserves to:- Fund environmental education and - Better manage protected areas

• The U.S.’s Tropical Forest Conservation Act- Paid $218 million in debt payments to 13 developing

countries for conservation efforts• Conservation concession = conservation organizations pay

nations to conserve, and not sell, resources

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

We can restore degraded ecosystems

• The best way to safeguard biodiversity and natural systems?- Protect natural areas before they become degraded

• Ecological restoration = restores degraded areas to some semblance of their former condition

• Restoration ecology = restoring damaged systems to bring back species and reestablish ecological processes- Filter pollutants, clean water and air, build soil, etc.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Restoring Iraq’s wetlands• Southern Iraq’s wetlands were drained in the 1970s and

1980s under Saddam Hussein, devastating the area• After the 2003 U.S. invasion, a multi-million dollar

international restoration effort began- Although successful, 2010’s drought caused Turkey

and Syria to divert water from the rivers

Drainage and Restoration

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Community-based conservation

• Developing nations often do not support conservationists from developed nations trying to preserve areas

• Community-based conservation = conservation biologists engage local people to protect land and wildlife- It offers education, health care, and development aid

• Conservation efforts help local people- People are retrained and income is supplemented- Poaching is reduced

• It ensures that local resources can be sustainably used

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

TED Video

Willie Smits restores a rainforest (20:39)

Willie Smits has devoted his life to saving the forest habitat of orangutans, the "thinkers of the jungle." As towns, farms and wars encroach on native forests, Smits works to save what is left.

By piecing together a complex ecological puzzle, biologist Willie Smits has found a way to re-grow clear cut rainforest in Borneo, saving local orangutans -- and creating a thrilling blueprint for restoring fragile ecosystems.